Though LEDs have become the standard light source for channel letters, Michael Florio of Superior Wholesale Signage, a wholesale channel letter manufacturer based in Daytona Beach, Florida, says that requests for neon where neon is not needed continue to flow into the shop.
迈克.弗洛里奥(佛罗里达州代托纳比奇市）Superior Wholesale Signage公司发光字制造商的负责人说：“LED已经成为发光字发光光源的标准，以现在的霓虹灯的需求，已经很难再进入店面作为发光标识了。
Florio says neon is an appropriate light source when the neon aesthetic is required to add a traditional look to an environment, either in an exposed application or in reverse channel letters. However, many of these neon requests would be better served with LED lighting for all the reasons covered here in Sign and Digital Graphics magazine continuously: they’re easier to work with, more efficient with low voltage, and easier to install, among other benefits.
弗洛里奥说霓虹灯是一种非常适合的光源并符合很多环境的传统审美，无论是在户外广告应用或在发光字标识的应用。但是，很多像霓虹灯这样的需求由于很多不同的原因慢慢被LED更好的替代: LED容易被应用，更有效率并省电，更方便安装和综合其它不同的好处。
“We have to explain to them that 99 percent of what we do is LED, unless they insist on neon that has to be exposed for some reason and the customer wants that look,” explains Florio. “There are still a number of shops that don’t know you can use LEDs as an alternate light source, so we explain the difference and why LEDs are a better fit for their sign, especially today and the way the manufacturers are making LEDs; they’re great. Some of the things they order you can’t even do with neon, like channel letters in a Times Roman font with strokes less than 1 1/2”. That’s not going to happen, especially for UL-listed neon signs, since neon requires a wider and deeper channel that won’t accommodate a narrow font.”
弗洛里奥说我们与很多客户沟通过我们百分之九十九主要是使用LED作为发光字的光源，除非客户由于个别原因要求坚持使用霓虹灯作为光源或客户想要那种效果。仍然还有很多的店面客户不知道他们的标志可以使用LED作为发光光源，所以我们给客户解释两者（霓虹灯和LED）的区别，还有为什么发光标识使用LED会更好，特别是现在厂家都以主要生产LED为主。有客户他们定制的标识根本不能使用霓虹灯，例如发光字Time Roman字体的粗细少于1.5英寸，这样就不可能安装霓虹灯了。按照UL认证列出的霓虹灯标识的规格，霓虹灯标识需要更宽和更深的凹槽，这样并不可能使用在狭窄的字体上。
Meeting the Standard
满足安装标准
Speaking of UL, Florio adds that sign companies ordering letters, or manufacturing the letters themselves, need to be well versed in local standards and permitting since some of these standards will exceed UL specifications.
谈到UL认证，弗洛里奥说标识公司定制发光字，或生产发光字，都必须符合当地的规范的标准和参数，因为有些标准会超出UL的规格。
“Everything we manufacture is UL-listed, but installation is a matter of jurisdiction. You need to know the local standards, in addition to UL,” says Florio. “The big installation issue we hear about from our customers has to do with permits. Some of our clients say it takes two or three months to get a permit, while others can walk it through in just a day. It depends on the municipality. We ship all over the U.S., and we’ve found that some municipalities are awful while others will help in any way they can. That’s why it’s so important to establish the permitting parameters and what’s required to get one long before any channel letter sign is sold.”
弗洛里奥说我们生产的所有标识都符合UL所列出的标准，但是说到安装又是另外一个部门的管辖权。除了UL认证许可，你还需要知道当地的一些标准。我们听说过我们之前客户遇到最大的安装问题是他们需要一个许可证。之前的一些客户告诉我们，他们需要两到三个月才能拿到许可证，但有些人一天就可以拿得到，这要看当地的管理部门了。我们的产品都是全美国配送的，并且我们发现有些当地管理部门的流程非常繁琐，不像有些地方非常简单。这就是为什么建立一个允许参数标准是多么的重要，并且在任何发光标识销售前都可以得到一个标准的要求。
After permitting, the next crucial step prior to installation and quoting a final price is a thorough site survey. A cursory survey may lead to big, unforeseen issues at the time of installation and cause the sign company to lose money on the project.
在得到许可证之后，下一个关键的步骤是在安装和报价之前彻底的做一个现场调查。一个粗略的调查可能会导致很大或不可预见的安装问题，并会使标识公司在项目当中赔钱。
“A lot of companies will meet with a customer, come up with a drawing and sell them the sign. We’ll manufacture the sign, but when the installer arrives at the destination he finds out that behind the fascia is a steel beam, a security gate, or some other obstruction. They can’t get in to do the remote wiring. That changes the cost of installation; sometimes they re-coup the extra cost and sometimes they take a bath,” says Florio. “Before you order anything, make sure you can get a permit and everything is legal, then survey the inside of the building to ensure you can get in there to do the wiring. If it’s on a raceway sign, make sure you can get in there with your equipment.”
弗洛里奥继续说很多标识公司会与他们的客户沟通，并且通过画图把标识卖给客户。那我们将生产标识，但是当安装工作人员到达安装地点后发现门头后面是一个钢梁、一个安全门或其它的障碍物。那样工作人员完全不能做一个远程拉线，这样就会增加安装的费用。有时客户会给多出的费用，有时项目就会因此停下来。所以在确定任何事情之前，要确保你拿到了许可证和所有东西都是合法的，然后做实地调查并确认工作人员可以做拉线。如果是安装跑道标识，你要确认你的设备是否可以带进去使用。
Also before the beginning of a channel letter project, don’t forget how design affects the success of a channel letter sign. It’s easy to lose sight of the final channel letter application in the abstract of a design concept, which is especially important when translating a two-dimensional set of type on a computer screen to the three-dimensional reality of a channel letter installation.
同样在开始发光字项目之前，千万不要忘记设计将影响发光标识的成败。一个抽象的设计概念会很容易影响最终发光字标识所呈现的效果，特别重要的是从发光字在电脑中的二维显示转变成现实中所需求三维效果的发光字安装。
Proper Spacing
适当的空间间隙
“The most common mistake I see with channel letter design is that they don’t put enough space between the letters,” says Kevin Kane of CLN of South Florida, a manufacturer of routers and fabrication machines based in Belle Glade, Florida. If you just type it into the computer and let it do the normal spacing, as you would with a vinyl or printed design, once you create a three-dimensional letter you actually need more spacing in between each letter. If you don’t do that, when the channel letters are installed and you look at it from the side, it all blurs together. You have to add a minimum of 10 percent more spacing to ensure readability from all angles.”
凯文.凯恩（佛罗里达州贝尔格莱德市南佛罗里达）CLN一家切割和装配设备公司的负责人说：“我看到过最常见的错误是他们在做发光字设计的时候，在字与字之间没有留足够的位置。如果你只是单纯地在电脑上打出字体并留出正常的空间，就像你制作背胶或者打印设计那样，虽然你创造出三维的文字，但实际上字体之间需要更多的空间。如果你不那样做，当发光字被安装的时候，你从旁边看过去就会发现发光字看上去就会变得很模糊。你需要在字体之间增加最少百分之十以上的间距以确保标识在不同角度被看到清晰性。
Similarly, proper spacing needs to be taken into account between lines of text. For example, a channel letter sign that has two sets of 12-inch tall channel letters on two lines should include at least six inches between each line, according to Kane.
凯恩说“同样地，合适的间距在文本的行之间需要被考虑。例如，一个发光标识由两组12英寸高的发光字分两行来组成，它们上下之间的距离最少要保持有6英寸的间距。”
“The rule of thumb is to add space between the lines of copy that is at least half the height of the letters. It’s possible there’s a concern about exceeding the square footage of the sign for whatever reason, but in that case you should think more about what needs to be said on the sign to get the point across in as little copy as possible,” Kane says. “Another solution that reads better is a short, fat letter, as opposed to a tall, skinny letter. If you’re new to channel letter signs, you should familiarize yourself with effective viewing distances for readability, both for pedestrian and vehicle traffic.”
最好的方法是在副本的行距之间预留字母一半的高度。并且尽可能的考虑标识会超出平方英尺的任何情况，但是在那种情况下你应该想更多的是你需要标识表达你想要的重点并且使用最小的副本空间。另外一个解决阅读方法是使用矮的、肥的字母，而不是高、瘦的字母。如果你之前对发光标识没有太多了解，那你应该让自己熟悉一下行人和车辆沟通有效的可视距离。
A Truck that Fits
卡车上的发光字安装
At the time of installation one of the biggest hassles can be setting up a crane truck—given increasingly congested roadways and parking lots. A big truck can be difficult to maneuver, especially in strip centers for smaller installations where the majority of channel letters are installed.
在安装时候其中一个最大的困难是安排一辆起重车 – 鉴于日益拥挤的道路和停车场。一辆大型的卡车很难被操纵，特别是在城市的中心地带进行的大多数小型发光字的安装过程。
“For us, the trend we’re seeing is that sign companies are dealing with congestion and trying to get in and out for the installation, so they’re looking more toward a smaller piece of equipment,” says Darrell Wilkerson, Jr., of Wilkie Manufacturing, a lift-truck manufacturer in Oklahoma City. “That’s why our Wilkie Model 52XLR on the smaller Ford F-550 truck has been so popular. It’s more maneuverable and in a lot of instances it has more height than you need, but many times you’re lifting not so much for the height, but you’re reaching over areas to get where you need to go, like sidewalks and landscaping. You may only need to go 20 feet up, but you need to go 30 feet out to get to it.”
达雷尔.威尔克森（威尔基制造公司负责人，一家在奥克拉荷马市生产升降车的制作商）说“对于我们看来，我们所看到的趋向是标识公司尝试进进出出的安装程序，正在与城市的拥堵战斗，因此他们正寻找更小型的安装工具。这是为什么我们威尔基型号52XLR的升降设备在小型的福特F-550卡车上那么流行。因为这是多么可具操作性，并在很多情况下它都能达到你所需要的高度，但很多时候你并不需要达到的高度，但你却可以到达更宽广你所需要的区域，例如人行道或者绿化区域，你可能只需要到20英尺的高度，但你却要到达30英尺远的区域。”
The Wilkie Model 52XLR has a 52-foot working reach and 45-foot maximum lift height. It has a small jib winch in the basket rated at 200 lbs. That 200-lb. rating may not seem like much, says Wilkerson, but channel letters weigh less than they used to when they were all made with neon.
威尔基型号52XLR设备具有最远52英尺的到达范围和最高45英尺的上升高度。有一个吊杆绞盘在篮子上可以承重200磅。那200磅感觉会有点多，但是现在发光字重量相比以前使用霓虹灯的制作肯定会轻了不少。
“These days a 50- or 60-lb. channel letter is a heavy channel letter,” says Wilkerson. “With LEDs, now it’s just ounces of lighting going into the letters.”
威尔克森接着说“按照现在来说，一个50或者60磅的发光字已经是一个非常重的发光字了。安装上LED，现在这仅仅是增加一盎司的重量在发光字里面而已。”
Perhaps most importantly, the smaller truck doesn’t require a special operator’s license to drive it, or a crane operator certification. Larger trucks require certifications, and finding qualified drivers can be difficult, particularly in areas like Oklahoma where sign companies compete with the oil industry for qualified lift-truck operators.
也许更重要的是开小型卡车并不需要一个特殊的驾驶执照，或者一个起重机操作员证明。驾驶大型卡车需要证明，并且要找合资格的卡车司机是非常困难的事情，特别是在奥克拉荷马市区域。因为在这里标识制作公司将于产油行业争夺合格的起重车操作员。
“A lot of companies are looking for a smaller, more versatile piece equipment. The Model 52XLR is rated so that it’s way under the crane operator certification for the crane lift part of it; that’s a big benefit for smaller companies. Plus, it’s not a highly technical piece of equipment. You can take someone who’s relatively new to the industry and with some training you can turn them loose on it,” says Wilkerson.
威尔克森说很多公司正在寻找更小更多功能的设备, 52XLR型号设备被应用，因为这是在起重机操作员认证下进行起重部分操作，这对于小公司来说非常有好处。再加上这不是一个技术性很强的设备。你只需要对新进来这个行业的人员进行一些训练，他们就可以操作了。 |
